Nation
PETAN Hosts 5th Sub-Sahara Africa Petroleum Exhibition, Confab, May 19

The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) is set to host its fifth Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC) scheduled to hold virtually on May 19 – 21, 2021.
SAIPEC, since 2017, is the only full stream business platform for the African continent which has played a major role in connecting more than 6,000 visitors, over 300 participating companies, 20 regional Chief Operating Officers (CEOs) and delegates, over 80 industry experts and over 200 exhibitions to encourage collaboration and discussions on the challenges and successes in the oil and gas sector.
A statement by PETAN, made available to The Tide, in Port Harcourt, indicated that, “The biggest industry event for the region, SAIPEC boasts representations from key Sub-Sahara African oil and gas industry players, delivering high-level strategic discussions on game-changing solutions combined with an international exhibition”.
The organising committee of the event announced the event’s return this year as a virtual conference and exhibition all within the energy advance platform following due consideration of the safety and wellbeing of SAIPEC’s sponsors, exhibitors, delegates and visitors.
“As a pivotal platform for the whole region serving the oil and gas community, organisers of the event have developed a world class virtual platform including a special exhibition area that will provide participants with the best possible experience; to promote their products and expertise, to develop leads and generate meetings.
“The SAIPEC conference programme will benefit from the participation of industry leaders and experts from all over the region. Delegates will be able to access more than 40 hours of the highest level content, providing invaluable insight, information and real platform for interactive debate.
“It is also poised to spur regional growth in support of the objective of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to reshape economies across the region, boost output in the services, manufacturing and natural resources sectors as well as attract direct foreign investment.
“Participants at SAIPEC will learn about the latest technological advances in the region’s oil and gas sector, identify the direction, opportunities and challenges of the industry and develop business partnerships through SAIPEC’s enhanced Business Matching Service (BMS), an easy to use technology platform with personalised service to help maximise networking opportunities and engage with target markets.
“Opening remarks will be given by the Chairman and Head of the PETAN team, Mr. Nicolas Odinuwe, while a keynote address will be delivered by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, H.E. Dr. Timipre Sylva.
“SAIPEC 2021, which will also have in attendance, top industry players such as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Wabote, and Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, amongst others, is projected to attract more than 200 exhibiting companies and 6,000 visiting professionals from across Sub Saharan Africa, Europe, Americas and Asia, including the Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim; Mrs Proscovia Nabbanja of Uganda National Oil Company Limited; Managing Director, SOBETH, Republic of Benin, Dr. Issifou Yari; Head of Gas Gabon Oil, Gabonese Republic, Mr. Yann Pierre Yangari, Director General, Petroleum Directorate, Republic of Sierra Leone, Mr. Foday Mansaray; Managing Director, Ghana National Gas Company, Republic of Ghana, Dr. Ben K.D Asante; Petroleum Commissioner, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Republic of Namibia, Mrs. Maggy Shino, Vice President, DAI, USA, Mr. Zachary Kaplan.
“Others are Associate Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resource Programme, Chatham House, UK, Dr. Valèrie Marcel; Director of E&P, Gambia National Petroleum Corporation, The Gambia, Ms. Cany Jobe and Director, Exploration and Production, Petrosen, Republic of Senegal, Mr. Joseph Medou.
“Confirmed Speakers Heading International Oil Companies include the Chairman/MD Business Unit, Chevron Nigeria/Mid Africa, Mr. Richard Kennedy; Managing Director, Total Energies, Nigeria, Mr. Mike Sangster, Managing Director, Gas, Shell, Nigeria, Mr. Ed Ubong and Managing Director, SNEPCo, Nigeria, Mr. Bayo Ojulari.
“Interested participants are encouraged to click the link, https://saipec-event.com/ to learn how to participate and for more insights about the event”, the statement added.
Nation
Accolades, Fanfare As Ogbakor Ikwerre President General Celebrates 80th Birthday

The President General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide and the Mgboh XIII of the Mgboh Royal Family of Emohua Kingdom in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, Eze (Barrister) Godspower Onuekwa, penultimate Friday celebrated his 80th birthday with pomp, pageantry and fanfare.
The celebration, which commenced with a symposium organised in his honour at Rivers State University on Thursday, August 21,2025, got to a resounding climax on Friday at Suntai Event Centre in Port Harcourt, where people from all walks of life, including business associates, friends, well-wishers, relatives, community folks, traditional rulers, and admirers, gathered to pay glowing tributes to the celebrant.
Before then, a well attended thanksgiving service was held that same Friday at Emmanuel Anglican Church, Okoro-Nu-Odo, to honour him and return gratitude to God Almighty for the fruitful and eventful life and accomplishments of the Emohua leader and icon.
The service which was officiated by Rt Rev Wisdom Budu Ihunwo, Bishop of Niger Delta North had other renowned and respected clerics like Most Rev(Dr) Blessing Enyindah, Dean, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion); Rt Rev(Dr) Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta; Rt Rev Innocent Ordu, Bishop, Diocese of Evo; and Ven Solomon Eze Nelson, Archdeacon, Okoro-Nu-Odo; among others lined up as officiating ministers.
The service lived up to its billing, as it featured powerful and soul-lifting praise and worship; point-blank prayers; and beautiful renditions, which electrified the entire atmosphere, essentially packaged to thank God for the life of the celebrant.
However, the crowning moment actually came when the who is who, the crème de la crème of the society, thronged the terraces and fabulously decorated expansive hall of Suntai Event Centre, to celebrate Eze Onuekwa, amid accolades, aplomb and panache, wining and dining, and clinking of glasses with him and all.
The chairman of the colourful ceremony, Chief Evans Woherem, who was represented by Eze(Prof) Christian Akani of the prestigious Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, praised the celebrant for his youthfulness in spite of clocking 80 years, generosity, humility, humaneness and selfless services to the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, and called on all and sundry to emulate his good legacies and simple disposition towards life and existence.
Goodwill messages also poured in in torrents to underscore and salute the doggedness, resilience, astuteness and uniqueness of the endearing life of the celebrant, with Prof Emenike Wami, the Ochia Ohna Ikwerre(XIV), taking the lead.
Prof Priye Iyalla, the wife of late renowned writer, novelist and playwright, Dr Elechi Amadi, held the audience spellbound as she masterfully reeled out the profile of the celebrant, amid intermittent applause from the crowd.
The Tiv Community from Benue State, resident in Rivers State, were not left out, as they honoured and decorated Eze Onuekwa in their complete traditional regalia.
Cultural displays from Baptist Church, Rumuowhor; ADNA Wogbuji Dancing Group, Egbeda; Tiv Dancing Group; and Promoter Eze and Rumu-Mgboh Emohua Wrestling Group, equally added colour and grace to the occasion, with the celebrant and his wife, Dame Ann Onuekwa, joining them to wriggle their waists and bodies in ecstasy.
In his response, the highly elated celebrant, Eze Onuekwa thanked all those gathered to celebrate with him, saying, celebrations would never cease in their homes, and attributed everything he represents in life, including his modest accomplishments to God.
Eze Onuekwa, while addressing newsmen, harped on the need for hard work among the youths and members of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, as a way of sustaining and giving meaning to the motto of the organisation, which he noted is anchored on peace, unity and progress.
He specially thanked God for sustaining his life, and for making everything possible for him and his family, saying, he was joyous that he has today become an octogenarian and elder statesman in Rivers State.
His son and medical practitioner, Dr Samuel Chizia Onuekwa expressed delight that people from far and near had come together to celebrate the father, whom he described as a role model and great inspirator.
He said it was a good thing that the children were celebrating their father when he is alive, stressing that the last time Eze Onuekwa was celebrated in such magnitude was 20 years ago, during his 60th birthday celebration, and prayed God to grant him many more years in good health.
Among dignitaries who graced the event were Senator Andrew Uchendu; Chief Sampson Agbaru; Prof Emenike Wami; Dr Peter Didia; Eze(Prof) Samuel Ugo Onyeka; and a host of others. Justice Iche Ndu(rtd); and C O Kattey were among personalities that attended the thanksgiving service, while the Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof Isaac Zeb-Obipi led the academics who graced the symposium, alongside Eze G A O Omodu.
Nation
Ensure That Ogoni Is Heard In The Right Way, HYPREP Urges Creative Arts Trainees

As the 100 Ogoni youths trained by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Creative Arts close out their training on Tuesday at the Theatre Arts Department, University of Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, has urged the beneficiaries to use the skills acquired to ensure that the Ogoni stories are told and heard in the right way.
The trainees, who had completed a four- month training in script writing, film production and make-up are beneficiaries of the HYPREP sustainable livelihood programme, aimed at providing high demand skills to Ogoni youths in the lucrative creative arts and entertainment industry.
Zabbey described the Creative Arts training as well as other programmes and interventions as HYPREP’s strategic sustained effort to create alternative sources of livelihood.
”Targeted capacity building for Ogoni youths and women remains a central strategy in HYPREP’s livelihood restoration and improvement efforts. Our goal is to reach every part of the Ogoni community and ensure that no group or talent pool is left behind. This training is a deliberate step to empower young people who aspire to make their mark in the creative and entertainment industry”, he said.
While commending the trainees for producing four short films within the training period, one of which was premiered at the ceremony-Dirty Festival, the Project Coordinator noted that the training would serve as a springboard into the industry, and enable them earn a living, become entrepreneurs, and open new doors of opportunities for themselves and their communities. The three other movies are Open Pain, Bomu and Green War.
He enjoined them to utilise their skills and platforms to promote civic responsibility, peace, and environmental sustainability, urging them to ensure that Ogoni is heard in the right way, speak for HYPREP and highlight the progress being made in implementing the recommendations of the UNEP Report.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director of Technical Services of HYPREP, Prof. Damian-Paul Aguiyi; Dr Ovunda Ihunwo, Head of the Theatre Arts Department of the University of Port Harcourt; Chief Douglas Experience, the Project Coordinator of Halibiz Consult Limited; and Mrs Josephine Nzidee, Head, Sustainable Livelihood of HYPREP, all applauded HYPREP for the training, and charged the trainees to maximise the opportunity.
The trainees were later presented certificates of participation.
Visibly elated Ms Lebee Tornwe, one of the beneficiaries, thanked HYPREP and the Project Coordinator for offering the trainees the rare opportunity to acquire skills in the creative arts and entertainment industry, and expressed delight that Dr Ihunwo and Halibiz Consult Limited gave their all in grooming them.
With the wrapping up of the Creative Arts training(100), HYPREP has trained 230 Ogoni youths in high demand skill sets ,viz; seafaring(100); and aviation (30). The Project will this year, commence training in other skill areas, including Mechatronic, Aviation, Full-Stack Development, Commercial Diving, Underwater Welding and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Still in the offing is the training for Ogoni Persons Living with Disabilities in five skill sets- fish farming; basic computer skills; photography; fashion and design; and shoemaking in line with their Needs Assessment and HYPREP’s policy of inclusivity.
Nation
NYCOP Urges Stakeholders To Develop, Empower Ogoni Youths

The National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) had called on stakeholders to work collaboratively towards the development and empowerment of Ogoni youths.
NYCOP made the call in a communique issue over the weekend after an emergency Congress in Port Harcourt and signed by its President, Comrade Raymond Nwibani Marcus.
In the communique, NYCOP endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of the Governing Council and Board of Trustees (BOT) members of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), particularly Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah as Chairman of HYPREP’s BOT.
It respectfully appealed to the President to consider appointing a representative from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Engr. Olu Andah Wai-Ogosu, being the pioneering social vehicle for Ogoni advocacy since the inception of the Ogoni struggle, adding that it would significantly contribute to the decision-making process.
The body commended the overall management of HYPREP and urges the President to continue funding the HYPREP project.
NYCOP furthermore recommended considering the conversion of HYPREP from a project to a full-fledged agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The communique also stated that NYCOP thanked President Tinubu for establishing the Federal University of Environmental Technology, and for appointing key staff, forming a dialogue committee, and initiating infrastructural projects like the Eleme axis of the East-West Road and the Bonny-Bodo Road, significantly enhancing regional connectivity and economic prospects.
In solidarity with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the endorsed President Tinubu’s second-term bid, saying it believes his leadership embodies the aspirations of the Ogoni people and Nigerians at large.
“After thorough consideration of the Disciplinary Committee’s report, NYCOP resolves:
” To indefinitely suspend Comrade Nade Nade Burale from his position as Secretary General due to misconduct.
“To declare Comrade Saviour Imeabe persona non grata on Ogoni youth issues, given his actions’ potential to instigate crisis in Ogoni and beyond” the communique stated.
NYCOP in his resolution issued a 7-day ultimatum to former HYPREP BOT Chairman Mike Nwialeghi to explain the $100 million HYPREP fund investment, warning of potential litigation.
NYCOP reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Ogoni youth interests and preventing personal aggrandizement.
According to the communique the resolutions demonstrate NYCOP’s efforts to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth.
“We will no longer tolerate any individual or group using the name or issues of Ogoni youth for personal aggrandizement.
” Our mandate is clear: to promote the collective welfare and advancement of Ogoni youth” the communique said.
NYCOP passes a vote of confidence in Hon. Emmanuel Nwika Deeyah, acknowledging his impeccable credentials and credibility to lead the BOT of HYPREP effectively.
Kiadum Edookor
-
Sports2 days ago
CAFCL : Rivers United Arrives DR Congo
-
Sports2 days ago
FIFA rankings: S’Eagles drop Position, remain sixth in Africa
-
Sports2 days ago
NPFL club name Iorfa new GM
-
Sports2 days ago
NNL abolishes playoffs for NPFL promotion
-
Sports2 days ago
Kwara Hopeful To Host Confed Cup in Ilorin
-
Sports2 days ago
NSF: Early preparations begin for 2026 National Sports Festival
-
Sports2 days ago
RSG Award Renovation Work At Yakubu Gowon Stadium
-
Sports2 days ago
RSG Pledges To Develop Baseball